Cuddly toy - your baby’s best friend

A teddy bear with just one ear, a doll in a tattered dress... To you they may seem worn-out, useless things that belong in the trash bin, but they can be your child’s best friends. A lot of parents are worried about their children’s strong attachment to a toy, but they shouldn’t. Your child, when it is sad, restless, scared or misses someone, reaches for the toy. It is a remedy for all sorrows, helps it cope with difficulties and gives a sense of security.

Why shouldn’t you worry about such an attachment to a toy?Because it has no negative consequences (unlike sucking on a thumb or pacifier). At some point your child will simply grow out of this affection. A newborn feels safe thanks to contacts with mum. A 2-year-old wants some independence. In hard times, it might hug mum, but this means a loss of newly-gained autonomy. That’s why your child needs another comforter. A 2-year-old uses a cuddly toy more often than a 3-year-old. Over time, a 5- or 6-year-old may simply and naturally forget about it. Therefore, you shouldn't laugh at your child’s affection for a shabby teddy bear and say that it is behaving like a little baby. Attachment to a cuddly toy is a sign of the child's ability to be independent from mum and to face the world on its own.

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There is no one good answer to the question of the right moment to get rid of the diaper. Experts’ opinions differ, but it is believed that it should happen no sooner than the 18th month and no later than at the age of 2.